"Once in every life there comes a time when even the watchers can do nothing but absorb the pain felt by some, as it is simply too great to withstand alone. She
bears the weight that lays heavy
as the tears of an angel heal the
wounds of the torn and broken
ones so they may one day see
light over the darkness."

The 'music of the spheres' plays through our lives every moment, as we discussed in our first article here in the garden. Sadly, the tragic events of September 11, 2001, are no exception, but the immense scope of the devastation and its incomprehensible impact tend to cloud our vision with extreme disbelief, denial, anger and/or despair. The message of this great violation of human life, however, is profoundly obvious. We are One World.

Perhaps it need not be said that we are all numbed by the bizarre extremity and absolute disregard for human life demonstrated by the terrorist attacks on the United States on this most recent Black Tuesday. Must we not conclude that peace-loving souls who envision a future for our world's children cannot accept this relapse to cold-blooded, Neanderthalic barbarism in these potentially enlightened times? Alas, but what to do?

The military will surely have their own answers, but all of us have a responsibility to recreate our lives and our world every day when we awaken from our sleep, just as the Sun rises out of the eastern darkness and illumines the shadows of the night. Maybe this morning symbolism can carry us into the 'dawn of a new day' in PEACE.

Most of North America was awakened that morning by unfathomable news complete with live pictures of the ongoing horrors. The following morning was no easier as we awoke to replays from every angle of the nightmarish and surreal images that had so permanently penetrated our consciousness. We know Uranus 'The Awakener' to be the planet, and Aquarius the sign, of the outlandish and irreverent, the radical and disruptive, the absolutely unpredictable frequencies of the Unknown - our Future. Since Uranus, at once the individual and the collective, is in its own sign of Aquarius, along with Neptune, the Prince of Peace and the devil of delusion, we are confronted with our own issues of independence, and the price at which it comes.

The event chart for the first plane crashing into the first tower is breathtaking with its exact conjunction of Mercury (trickster, messenger, trader) to the ASC at 14° Libra, exactly trined by Saturn at 14° Gemini! There was surely no mistake, since the U.S.natal Saturn (stability and tradition) is 14° Libra! No finer aspect could have been chosen for such precision timing and meticulous execution of the plan. Black Moon Lilith in the U.S. chart has also progressed to 14°41' Libra, implying disappointment, karmic debt and loss of life. The second chart has 17°43' Libra rising, falling on the U.S. prog. Mars at 18°34'. -- correction -- latest timeline gives 9:06am (revised chart), which gives 18°19' ASC!

U.S. Chart

The first official document of the United States of America was the Declaration of Independence, which automatically became its Birth Chart, drawn for July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The exact time that this document became official has been a point of massive controversy amongst astrologers for many years. As of Sept.11, 2001, I imagine that most would now agree that the chart proposed by Dane Rudhyar is the correct one.
Not only were his conclusions drawn from a massive amount of evidence compiled from historical notes and records, but most professional astrologers today would have to include Mr. Rudhyar's prolific works in their recommended reading lists, and many have expressed publically how he above all others, was the one who inspired them to pursue this study seriously. His version of the U.S.chart has long been the most popular, but now seems confirmed.

This chart is set for 5:10pm (LMT) and has 12°21' Sagittarius Rising, which is the exact degree of Pluto right now, as we still reel in the aftermath of the unspeakable carnage. Pluto on the ASC is an in-your-face confrontation with Death and the potential for transformation. It always exposes our control issues and power struggles, even within ourselves. In this case, however, Pluto had been riding an opposition to Saturn since late July, and will continue to do so until May 2002, which intensifies the demands to a fever pitch. Saturn is our manifested reality, the tangible, material world, where physical life and obsession with money hang in the balance. As Scorpio's planet, Pluto governs all investments, shared resources and hidden values, as well as espionage and underworld activities. It insists that we be relentless in getting to the root of the problem and doing whatever is necessary to fix it.
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Lesson

While the 'bad guys' in this story are obviously the terrorists, there is always a balancing of purpose in every event, a piece of the dart in every bulls-eye. If we were to seek a philosophical lesson in this face-off, we might address the symbolism of the Twin Towers as the target. The ultimate icon of corporate America, representing its success but also its self-centered greed and corruption, standing tall as twin (Gemini) phallic (Mars) structures (Saturn) might suggest that the implied superiority needed a shake-down. Self-worth and personal excellence often take a backseat to stock options and profit margins. Is the natal square from Neptune to Mars indicative of hard learned lessons where sensitivity, intuition and artistry are concerned?

The Saturn/Pluto opposition is a call to the bargaining table, to 'put our money where our mouth is,' to stand behind what we believe. With Pluto (and many other of the significant aspects) in Sagittarius, sign of the search for Truth, this is a call to our Higher Selves, our Inner Shaman (Chiron¹), to bring forth our personal and collective world views, and apply the philosophies by which we live. Our core beliefs are tested in times of dire crisis, and we are challenged to find an even more creative solution than ever before to resolve the differences at hand.
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Why now?

As for the natal predilection for such outrageous goings-on, we need only remember that the United States started out as 13 colonies of rebels who declared independence from the existing order, in England. This unconventional streak shows up in the nation's chart as Uranus in Gemini conjunct the DSC (setting), ruling an Aquarian Moon in the 3rd House (more Gemini), indicating an outspoken, individualistic and even experimental attitude - ahem, some might say 'rude, egotistical and immature.' The cry for freedom rings loudly across the land. That cry rises to a shriek as it penetrates the blackness now, with the U.S. progressed Sun conjoining² its natal Moon at 27°Aquarius. The next several months are a profound time of rebirth and renewal.

Not an easy rebirth though, as the Sun/Moon union are at the apex of a yod³ (double quincunx, 150°), between the prog. Neptune (deception & religion) in Virgo (precision & the work force)/9th(foreign influence & beliefs) and prog. North Node (destiny) in Cancer(family)/8th(death & legacies). The prog. South Node is conjunct the natal Pluto at 27° Capricorn, which is unleashing past karma and offering it up to be transformed.

Trans-Pluto/Persephone is at 26°Leo now, opposite the U.S. Sun/Moon and quincunx the S.Node/Pluto, and reminds us of her underworld connections and how the ultimate mastery of anything requires an intimate knowledge of its inner workings. Each of us must make sure that our own channels are clear of debris so as not to project the trash of the past forward under our very footsteps. The portals of Birth and Death call for special sacraments and sacrifice, and are necessarily guarded by the Feminine Soul, i.e. psyche, which says to me that logical, left-brained cleverness will not be enough to win this battle. Absolute wholism appears to be the only option, since it leaves no weak links in the chain.

Chiron

Enter Chiron! All at the same time, Chiron was animal (lower body & chakras), human (upper body & chakras) and Divine (immortal) - just like us. Chiron is the newly resident symbol of wholism in our solar system. He entered our consciousness (was discovered) on Nov. 3, 1977, and brought new hope for leaping out of the model of the past and into an entirely new creation. It also helps to remember that his uniqueness (mixed parentage) was seen by his mother as an affliction of the highest degree, and she totally rejected him for it, but it is that very same uniqueness that later manifested into his supreme expertise at all levels of application: prophet, sage, healer, teacher, astrologer, warrior...

The only two conjunctions made by Chiron to outer planets in the first 99 years of the 20th century, were to Pluto in 1941 (Pearl Harbor) and to Neptune in 1945 (Hiroshima). The inherent wound of Chiron when applied to these socio-political arenas is most assuredly our penchant for killing each other over our differences. It is usually through the 'mortal wound' that the 'magic wand' of Chiron's Inner Shaman is discovered, giving us the ability to go beyond our usual limitations. On Dec.30, 1999, Chiron conjoined Pluto at 11°35' Sagittarius (U.S. ASC 12°), challenging our choices once again as we entered the unprecedented year, 2000. This melding of revolutionary energies has been pushing us intensely forward ever since. Pluto has just returned to that same degree for the last time!
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Realignment

Mars, god of war, and symbol of assertiveness and creative movement, spent seven months in the sign of Sagittarius this year, reviewing the journey, reworking the body and revising the plans, our own personal ones, but also those of the terrorists for a grandiose, international spectacle. Chiron stationed and turned retrograde last March at 29°* Sagittarius, followed by Mars doing exactly the same thing in May, and then Mercury stationed at 29° Gemini (opposite) in early June. On Dec.30, 1999, Mercury was at 29° Sagittarius! It may become relevant that all of these stations formed trines to Osama bin Laden's natal Pluto at 28°43' Leo. - see chart, which is quincunx the U.S. Pluto at 27°34' Capricorn!

On Sept.8, Mars entered Capricorn, signalling the time to execute the plan. At one degree of Capricorn on Sept.11, it made an exact square to the U.S. Midheaven (MC 1°03' Libra), attacking the status quo of the country. The U.S. prog. Mercury is at 1°Pisces, quincunx that MC, showing our blindness to what was coming. Add to that, the U.S. prog. Moon (the people) had just entered Gemini on Sept.8, to square that Mercury (more blind spots), and was sitting at 0° to catch the quincunx (death) from transiting Mars.

Spirituality

The spiritual level of these events is most revealing. Transiting Neptune is conjunct the U.S. natal South Node 6°36' Aquarius, which quincunxes its natal Jupiter at 5°56' Cancer. We know the S.Node to be the Achilles Heel in any chart, the loophole or the leak. Obviously, the open-door policies and freedom loving nature of Americans is inherent in that nodal position, but as Neptune dissolves its extremity and softens its edge, the people (Cancer) of the U.S., usually 'safe and sound' on home turf (Sun/Venus/Jupiter stellium), find themselves dreadfully exposed to danger from 'out of nowhere' (Neptune). A trine to prog. Uranus at 6° Gemini/6th, encourages us with the stellar sense of community that has been sparked and will be brilliantly innovative in rebuilding the strength and trust of the people. Breakthrough is imminent.

With religious freedoms forming the very basis of the country itself, it is no surprise that we find natal Neptune just past the MC in the U.S. chart at 22°25' Virgo/9th (belief systems), squared by Mars at 21°23' Gemini/7th (open enemies). Chiron's retrograde through Sagittarius ended on Aug.26 when it turned direct at 22°51' Sagittarius, opposite U.S. Mars and square Neptune, reopening old wounds, bringing up issues of vulnerability and faith, and topped with an outpouring of compassion and open-heartedness.

The good news here is that the U.S. ASC has progressed to 21°58' Leo (sextile Mars, trined by t.Chiron), which is being opposed by transiting Uranus at 21°50' Aquarius. Uranus conjunct DSC is a classic 'divorce' aspect, and clearly all alliances are being thoroughly examined, and reconfirmed (NATO) or severed (terrorist supporters). Its trine to natal Mars strengthens our resolve, our stamina and our prognosis for innovation and success.
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Test of Love

Many have expressed their outrage at these heinous terrorist acts, but retaliation breeds more of the same. Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind." Perhaps there is another way, and particularly for those of us civilians who are merely bystanders in these War Games.

Anger is Fear turned outward. Fear is the lack of Love. If we project hatred and violent intentions toward the terrorists we will only aggravate an already hostile atmosphere. We would also then demonstrate that we are no wiser than they are.

If, on the other hand, we could fill our own hearts with LOVE not hate, and throw bombs of COMPASSION not fear, and douse them in FORGIVENESS not revenge, just imagine what could happen! If we could bombard them with as much Love & Light as there is on this planet there would be no room left for any doubt or darkness!

When Yoda (Star Wars) said, "Use the Force," he meant it.

Blessings of Peace! NamasteSept. 14, 2001

post script: After posting the above I noticed two keys that felt important to share:

George W. Bush has an exact conjunction happening right now between his prog.MC and his prog.TrueNorth Node at 17°05' Gemini, implying that this is his Moment of Destiny, the one for which he was born! There will be another Saturn/Pluto opposition (like we just had) in May 2002, at 16°35' right on this nodal axis, which should bring it all to completion.

He was born with a N.Node/Uranus conjunction in the 11th House, meaning that his destiny will come through radical deviations from the norm and shocking events, and all in public view. His prog.Uranus is at 21°27' Gemini, exactly conjunct the U.S. Mars at 21°23' Gemini! If bin Laden DOES figure into this (which it certainly looks like!), we note that his natal Mars is 23°15' Gemini, and if his Noon birthtime is to be believed (and the chart fits like a glove), he has 22°23' Gemini Rising! Are they entangled, or what?!

The above degree is quincunx bin Laden's N.Node at 21°47' Scorpio in 6th. Also in the 6th is his natal Saturn at 14°09' Sagittarius, being conjoined by Pluto and opposed by Saturn, as well as sitting along the U.S. Horizon (ASC/DSC). These two aspects severely diminish his chances of surviving this whole thing, which I gather would be an honour for him.

Additionally, Mr.Bush's natal Venus is 21°30' Leo, with prog.Mercury on top of it, and prog.Venus AND prog.Moon both at 22° Libra, all trine and sextile the above Mars & Uranus aspects, which bodes extremely well for the United States, and probably for him personally.

Please e.mail any questions or observations that you would like to share with the other visitors to the Garden Chats. You may remain anonymous if you like.

WHY? Trace the historical roots of this attack by the Assassins. Visit Richard Hoagland's web-site: EnterpriseMission.com, for a revelatory perspective!

Quote by survivor Michael Lomonaco, Executive Chef,Windows on the World Restaurant, 106/107th floors: "The thing I noticed when I visited the site on Saturday was the light. The towers always blocked it out, but now there is light where there hadn't been for the longest time. Maybe there is something in that."

Footnotes:1. Chiron is both our wounding and our healer, shocking and invasive in style, dramatic and multi-dimensional in effect. The basic principles of Chiron were published in my chapter on the asteroids in Exploring Consciousness in the Horoscope, edited by Noel Tyl, publ. by Llewellyn. This title is currently out of print but can be obtained online secondhand at amazon.com. Back to Chiron

2. The coming together (conjoining) of the Sun and Moon, as we view them from Earth, is representative of the New Moon, a new beginning, a conception or a birth, taking place in the darkness. Back to conjoining of Sun & Moon

3. The yod is a Y-shaped configuration of planets, two of which form a quincunx (150° angle) to the third. This is called 'The Finger of God' by many because it seems to have a fated quality to it, where the only choice is change. The blessing contained within it is the sextile (60°) between the two planets at the prongs of the Y. The difficulty of the quincunxes is that the relevant signs share no common ground: polarity, element or quality (modality), making it a challenging experience. Back to yod

* (29° of any sign is its very last degree and therefore is the fullest expression of that sign's energy.

The following letter was sent to us by David Wilkinson, and we would like to share it with you. The writer is Kent Madin, part-owner of Boojum Expeditions who leads trips to Mongolia and other far-flung places. He wrote from Boojum Expeditions Khovsgol Lodge Management Mongolia. -- Thanks David!

Bomb Them with Butter

A military response, particularly an attack on Afghanistan, is exactly
what the terrorists want. It will strengthen and swell their small but
fanatical ranks.

Instead, bomb Afghanistan with butter, with rice, bread, clothing and
medicine. It will cost less than conventional arms, poses no threat of
US casualties and just might get the populace thinking that maybe the
Taliban don't have the answers. After three years of drought and with
starvation looming, let's offer the Afghani people the vision of a new
future. One that includes full stomachs.

Bomb them with information. Video players and cassettes of world
leaders, particularly Islamic leaders, condemning terrorism. Carpet the
country with magazines and newspapers showing the horror of
terrorism committed by their "guest". Blitz them with laptop computers
and DVD players filled with a perspective that is denied them by their
government. Saturation bombing with hope will mean that some of it gets
through. Send so much that the Taliban can't collect and hide it all.

The Taliban are telling their people to prepare for Jihad. Instead,
let's give the Afghani people their first good meal in years. Seeing
your family fully fed and the prospect of stability in terms of food and
a future is a powerful deterrent to martyrdom. All we ask in return is
that they, as a people, agree to enter the civilized world. That
includes handing over terrorists in their midst.

In responding to terrorism we need to do something different.. something
unexpected..something that addresses the root of the problem. We need
to take away the well of despair, ignorance and brutality from which the
Osama bin Ladens of the world water their gardens of terror.

Kent Madin

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